A Madison County man who distributed hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine from the Rapid Lube in Athens where he worked by covertly stashing boxes in the shop, was sentenced to life in federal prison recently. The charges grew out of a investigation into a cross-border drug ring moving thousands of kilograms of drugs from Mexico in boxes of jalapeños to a conversion lab in Monroe.
James Len Ramey, 54, of Comer, described by authorities as a “major” Athens drug dealer, was sentenced to two life sentences after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. His federal sentence will be served consecutively to sentences handed down by judges in Habersham and Lumpkin counties in unrelated drug cases.
“Ramey pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine,” said HSI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank. “He used his job at Rapid Lube, obtained through a prison work-release program, as a cover for trafficking. After his arrest, nearly 14 kilograms of meth were found hidden at the shop.”
Ramey received approximately 30 kilograms of methamphetamine every two weeks from his Mexico-based source of supply, whom Ramey met while serving a state prison sentence for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Lumpkin County. The investigation found that Ramey led a sophisticated drug trafficking network that relied upon Mexican suppliers, coded communications, couriers, stash locations, and conversion laboratories capable of producing hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine.
Ramey took advantage of his employment at the Rapid Lube to facilitate his transition back into lawful society as the base of operations for his large-scale drug trafficking organization. Ramey would secretly store the drugs in boxes at the shop while coordinating transactions and directing the activities of couriers and distributors.
After Ramey’s July 3, 2024, arrest and over the next several months, Rapid Lube employees uncovered an additional 13,992.57 grams of methamphetamine he had hidden at the shop.
The drug evidence was packaged in oil filter boxes of varying sizes. Within the oil filter boxes, methamphetamine was packaged in a gallon-size plastic bag. (U.S. Department of Justice photos)